How a child's 'free play' racked up huge bills: FM Nirmala Sitharaman explains India's crackdown on real-money gaming
To illustrate the seriousness of the issue, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman recounted an incident shared by a state finance minister involving his own grandson.
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Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman explains the government's tough stance on regulating online gaming, saying the move was born out of genuine concerns raised by families about financial losses and children's vulnerability to addiction.
In August, the government enacted the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, which bans money-based gaming while permitting recreational play.
Explaining the rationale behind the legislation in an exclusive interview with Rahul Joshi, Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief, Sitharaman said, "We have not banned games which are for recreational purposes. It is only when you start betting for money. We have banned it not because we don't like it. It's the question of number of people who came to say families are getting absolutely shaken up. The monthly bill are shooting up and children cannot be controlled from the temptation."
To illustrate the seriousness of the issue, Sitharaman recounted an incident shared by a state finance minister involving his own grandson.
The child was given access to a family credit card for a genuine purchase but later used it repeatedly to play online games. Each time, he returned the card, unaware that the supposedly 'free' games carried hidden charges. The result was an unexpected spike in household bills.
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"The grandson told the state Finance Minister that he played games that were free and did not play any money games. The young child was under the impression he was playing a free game but it was chargeable," Sitharaman said.
She added that several families, along with representations to the Prime Minister's Office, complained that money-based games were "ruining the country's youth."
This, she stressed, was the driving force behind the government's intervention.
